ulf wrote:On another note, I'm always afraid to get mixed drinks when i go out. Always stick to beer and basics (Gin & tonic, rum & coke etc). Mainly because my buddy ordered a hurricane 2 years ago and it came in a curvy glass with an umbrella and he still gets made fun of. You guys have anything a little more manly (that most bars would have) ? I'm interested in something new.

My bar consists of 52 different American Whiskies (~45 of which are bourbon), and a few odds and ends of some gin, vodka, scotch, irish, and rum. I have a glass or 2 of bourbon essentially every night. I've recently started aging my own bourbons, and I really like some of the results, although waiting a year to get the result is a little annoying.

Juice wrote:I forgot about manhattans on my list... I like crown manhattans but all the Soco talk reminded me of how i really like soco manhattans

If you like crown manhattans (which I love), try crown royal black. It's pretty much a crown manhattan straight up (and is delicious).

My favorite Manhattan recipe:

2 oz Bourbon (I like Blanton's or 1792 for Manhattans)1 oz Apple Brandy (not a normal ingreedient, but I go light on the vermouth)0.5 oz sweet vermouth (make sure you refrigerate after opening - many people screw this up and it goes bad quickly)about 10-12 dashers of orange bitters (go strong here - even though bitters are awful by themselves it really makes the drink)serve in a rocks glass with about 2 full size ice cubes and enjoy

ulf wrote:On another note, I'm always afraid to get mixed drinks when i go out. Always stick to beer and basics (Gin & tonic, rum & coke etc). Mainly because my buddy ordered a hurricane 2 years ago and it came in a curvy glass with an umbrella and he still gets made fun of. You guys have anything a little more manly (that most bars would have) ? I'm interested in something new.

llipgh2 wrote:Stopped by a new independent wine dealer today at lunch. A little place that opened on Smallman. R Wine Cellar - Urban Winery. They make the wine on site, using either Californian or Lake Erie grapes.

I bought a red - Fredonia - made with Lake Erie grapes, Only $12.00. I'll let everyone know how it is on Saturday night when I crack it open.

llipgh2 wrote:Stopped by a new independent wine dealer today at lunch. A little place that opened on Smallman. R Wine Cellar - Urban Winery. They make the wine on site, using either Californian or Lake Erie grapes.

I bought a red - Fredonia - made with Lake Erie grapes, Only $12.00. I'll let everyone know how it is on Saturday night when I crack it open.

Jacquins flavored brandy, apricot or blackberry and excelent on the rocks. Sweet and strong. Kraken Rum (diet cola) or Tangary 10 (diet tonic) is what you will find in my house. Sambuca is a nice switch up at times. Jacquins rock and rye is also a sweet treat but needs ice and OJ or lime juice to unthicken it. Its almost like syrup.

The first case of alcohol I ever purchased from a beer distributor was a case of Zima. I'd only recently turned 21 and thought I didn't like beer. (I just didn't know yet what good beer was.) I took the Zima to a house party later that evening, and once there I saw several ladies pouring Kool-Aid into their bottles. I never bought or drank Zima again.

pressure=9Pa wrote:My bar consists of 52 different American Whiskies (~45 of which are bourbon), and a few odds and ends of some gin, vodka, scotch, irish, and rum.

expound on this please

give me your knowledge

Well, my higher shelf offerings are Pappy Van Winkle 23 year and Pappy Van Winkle 20 year. I enjoy having these around, but I really only pull them out when bourbon-loving comapny is over. Wild Turkey Tradition and Wild Turkey American Spirit are my two other bottles that I consider high shelf at ~$100 each, and those two are my two favorite releases ever.

Most of my collection are bottles that range from $30 - $60, usually proofed between 90 - 105 (min to be called bourbon is 80, much like gin, vodka, or rum), and most with a rye mashbill instead of wheat. Bourbon by defiinition is at least 51% corn. Rye can be added for a spicy, peppery flavor. Wheaters are another category of bourbon which are much milder. Wheat is almost tasteless, so people who like wheated bourbons are actually tasting more of the corn - wheat whiskey is a completely different flavor. Speaking in vague generalities, rye-heavy bourbons don't need as long to age. A decent bottle of ryed bourbon can only be in the barrel for 5-6 years and be very drinkable. Wheaters however, need longer to mature. Makers Mark is the low end of wheated bourbons, and most of those age 6-8 years.

Speaking specifically to Makers, it is designed and advertised to be completely non-offensive on anyone's pallet. If you're not a whiskey drinkers, this is one to get you hooked. If you are a whiskey drinker, you're likely to find Makers smooth, drinkable, but boring.

For a $40 - $50 bottle, my two reccomendations are Blanton's and Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit. The kicker with Kentucky Spirit is that it needs to be a bottle with either a pewter or dark wood top. The light wood tops are pretty good, but not nearly to the standard of the other versions. Which leads me into my next point.

To be bourbon, the whiskey need only make contact with a virgin white oak barrel. To be straight bourbon, it must age at least two years. To not require an age statement on the bottle, it must age at least four years. If a bottle doesn't have an age statement, you know it is at least four years old. However two identical bottles on the shelf next to each other may have aged different lengths of time. It is useful to think of bourbon as a agricultural product rather than a manufactured product. IE, you can't make it exactly the same twice. Bourbons are bottled when they're ready. Even bottles with age statements are only required to report the youngest age. Eg one barrel is aged 6 years, but after 6 years the other still doesn't taste right. It is ready after 7 years, but poured into the same container to load the bottle. The bottle will still say 6 years, because that is the youngest of the components. Wild Turkey has as a corporate practice not used age statements on most of their releases. Over time, they substitute younger (and thus less favored) product into the same label. This is perfectly legal, since they are not declaring the age. They just have to use bourbons that are at least 4 years old.

To appease the bourbon nerds/snobs/connosuers, WT makes a subtle label or packaging change every timme they fundementally alter the formula. In the case of Kentucky Spirit, the changed the color of the cork.

Thus ends today's bourbon lesson. I could probably right a 12 page word document tonight from memory, but I'll save everyone the boredom.